Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for rejecting a no-fly zone over his country as the Western alliance knew that further Russian aggression was "inevitable".
He lashed NATO and even said that 'the alliance gave the green light for further bombing of Ukrainian cities and villages'.
"Knowing that new strikes and casualties are inevitable, NATO deliberately decided not to close the sky over Ukraine," he said in a video published by the presidency.
"Today the leadership of the alliance gave the green light for further bombing of Ukrainian cities and villages, refusing to make a no-fly zone," Zelenskyy said as quoted in an AFP report.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says that the alliance won't enter the conflict fearing 'a direct clash with Moscow that could spiral into a wider conflict.' The Western alliance did not entertain pleas from Ukraine to impose a no-fly zone over their country to control Russian bombing. Rather, they warned President Vladimir Putin of fresh sanctions on Russia if he does not stop the war. NATO's stand is to avoid a 'full-fledged war in Europe' and minimise 'human suffering'.
"The only way to implement a no-fly zone is to send NATO fighter planes into Ukraine's airspace, and then impose that no-fly zone by shooting down Russian planes," Stoltenberg said as quoted in the report.
"If we did that, we'll end up with something that could end in a full-fledged war in Europe, involving many more countries and causing much more human suffering."